Ede and Ravenscroft Ltd provide the official gown hire and photography services at all of the University’s degree ceremonies. You will need to book these services yourself. We advise you to do this as soon as possible after booking your place but absolutely no later than 10 working days before the ceremony. Details of how to book these are shown below.
Academic dress
You are entitled to wear academic dress at the ceremony. Although not compulsory, nearly all graduates do choose to wear it. There is a hire charge for this. OU academic dress for wear at degree ceremonies consists of a gown and a hood. Please note that hats (mortarboards or bonnets) are not worn at OU degree ceremonies.
A hat (mortarboard or bonnet) may be hired for personal use during the day although cannot be worn during the ceremony. Alternatively a hat will be provided from Ede & Ravenscroft which can be used for your official photograph only
Gown and hood types
The style and colour scheme of the gowns and hoods for each OU qualification is listed below. Please click on the link to view the academic dress.
| Degree | Gown | Hood |
|---|---|---|
| PGCE | Light blue | Simple shape; dark blue; faced inside light blue |
| DipHE | Dark blue | Simple shape; dark blue; faced inside light blue |
| All Foundation degrees | Dark blue | Simple shape; light blue; faced inside dark blue |
| BA, BA Hons, BSc, BSc Hons, BEng Hons, LLB Hons | Dark blue | Simple shape; light blue; faced inside gold |
| Validated BA, BSc | Dark blue | Simple shape, gold; fully lined light blue |
| MEng | Light blue | Full shape; gold Panama; fully faced inside gold; edged blue |
| MA, MEd, MSc | Light blue | Full shape; dark blue Panama; fully lined gold; edged gold |
| MBA, MPA | Light blue | Full shape; dark blue Panama; fully lined gold; edged blue and gold |
| Validated Masters | Light blue gown | Full shape; gold Panama; fully lined with white |
| MPhil | Light blue | Full shape; light blue; fully lined gold; edged gold |
| EdD | Royal blue; gold | Full shape; gold Panama; fully lined light blue |
| DClin | Royal blue; gold | Full shape Panama; fully lined; edged with cream brocade hood |
| MRes | Light blue | Simple shape; royal blue; faced gold |
| PhD | Royal blue; gold | Full shape; royal blue Panama; fully lined facings gold; edged gold |
| DSc | Royal blue; gold | Full shape; gold Panama; fully lined light blue; edged light blue |
How to hire academic dress
We advise you to book your robe hire immediately after you have booked your ceremony.
The latest date for hiring your robes or altering your robe hire details is 10 working days before the ceremony. The onus is on you, the graduate, to ensure that you have booked your robe in plenty of time and that it is the correct one for your award. Therefore please make sure that you have your award details to hand when making the booking to avoid any mistakes.
You can hire your academic dress through the website www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk or by telephoning +44 (0) 1223 861854. Please note that bookings made by telephone to Ede and Ravenscroft cost £5.00 more than those made online.
If you are at all unsure of what your qualification is please telephone the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0) 1908 653003 before placing your order.
For all other queries about hiring or wearing your academic dress you can check the FAQs on Ede and Ravenscroft’s website or telephone them on +44 (0) 1223 861854.
Purchasing academic dress
If you wish to purchase academic dress, please contact Ede and Ravenscroft on +44 (0) 1223 862053.
Photography
Once you have collected and put on your academic dress you may then have your official photographs taken. Please refer to the section of this website about your chosen ceremony for information on the location and times of photography. The area will be well signposted when you get to the venue.
A photograph will automatically be taken (whenever possible) of each graduate as they receive their award. This can be viewed and purchased at www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk 7-10 days after the ceremony, by following the link to On Line Gallery. A password is required which will be provided in your pre-ceremony mailing.
You can book your photography either on the day of the ceremony or in advance, by visiting our official photographers website www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk or by telephoning +44 (0) 1223 861854. To minimise queuing on the day we strongly advise that you do book this service in advance.
The website shows examples of the photograph packs available to buy, and sample sets of individual and family photographs will be on display at the ceremony venue.
Facilities for the deaf and hard of hearing or those with speech impairments are available using your Textphone. Dial 18001 01223 861854 to access the RNID Typetalk system. For any other enquiries please call +44 (0) 1223 861854.
Please note that you can book your robe hire and photography at the same time if you wish.
What to wear at your ceremony
Although there is no formal dress code for the ceremony, the presentation of graduates is a prestigious occasion and most graduates choose to come to their ceremony formally dressed, men in a suit or a jacket and tie, women in a suit or smart dress. Services personnel are very welcome to wear their uniforms. All the university's academic robes have velcro fastenings with which to secure the hood in place, but you may like to bring pins or a brooch to assist with this.